Grain-elevator



(No Model.) V2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Efv; JOHNSON. GRAIN ELEVATOR.

,No. 595,391" Patented Dec. 14, 1897 m: mmms PETERS ca, momumov. WASNIIDTON, a. 12V

- (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

E. v. JOHNSON. GRAIN ELEVATOR. N0. 595,391 Patented Dec. 14,1897.

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ERNEST V. JOHNSON, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES L. RECORD, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,391, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed July 9, 1897. Serial No.'643,995. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST V. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,'residing in Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Grain-Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of grain-elevators.

Heretofore grain-elevators, which consist, essentially, of a series of square bins, each generally about twelve feet square and eighty or more feet in height and placed side by side like the cells of a honeycomb, so as to mutually support each other, have usually been built of wood cribwor as it is commonly called-that is to say, the walls of the bins are built up of wood by spiking fiat on top of each other planed boards which are ordinarily about two inches in thickness and eight inches in width, the boards being so laid one on top of each other that they break joints and alternately cross each other at the corners, so as to effectuallytie all the walls and all the bins securely together. The elevating, weighing, cleaning, and other machinery are placed in the cupola or superstructure above the bins. While this old construction is generally found A adequate, owing to the peculiar'strength of the wood-board cribwork walls of the bins, to resist the enormous bursting or lateral pressure exerted by the great height of grain in the bins. when the wood is fresh and sound, still the construction is open to many serious objections and difficulties. In the first place, the wood cribwork is exceedingly combustible, so much so that whenever a fire breaks out in a grain-elevator it is generally a total loss. The series of high bins with their dry wood walls form in effect so many highly-inflammable fiues, and the building is very high and of such a nature that firemen have little chance to put a fire out or get access to it. The wood is also quite liable to decay by absorbing moisture from the grain and other causes, and when the wood thus becomes weakened by rot it is liable to give way un- (ler'j'the great lateral or bulging pressure to which it is subjected by the grain, especially when a row or number of bins filled full of heavy grain, like wheat, happen to be adj oining to other empty bins, so as to receive little compensating support therefrom. Itis therefore by no means an unfrequent occurrence for grain-elevators to burst, thus entailing very great loss to the building and its contents, especially when the elevator is located alongside a river or canal on one side. Another serious trouble arises from the continual shrinkage or compressing of the wood in these high solid wood walls built up by laying boards down fiat one on top of another, and as this shrinkage or compression, which is continually going on and never ceases, is liable to be different in the different parts of the building or in the difierent walls of the series of high bins it is a matter of great difficulty to keep the high walls true or plumb, and requires constant truing up and care, and for this and other reasons the machinery located in the cupola or superstructure generally requires to be mounted on adjustable bearings, or else to be supported entirely separate fromthe walls of the bins by carrying up from the bottom foundation separate posts or supports through the bins upon which to support the superstructure or cupola, thus in either case adding materially to the expense, and also while in this old construction the wood walls of the bins will act properly to absorb moisture from the grain, and thus diminish the danger of the grain injuriously heating or sweating and spoiling, difficulty is nevertheless frequently experienced by reason of the wood walls tainting and injuring the salability of sound grain by imparting to it musty or other injurious taints or odors. This is due to the fact that the wood walls frequently become impregnated with musty odors or taints, by absorption from the grain, in cases where the bin of grain gets to heating or spoiling, as will sometimes happen in elevators, due to careless inspection, improper drying, or other causes, and then when good sound grain is afterward put into the same bin it becomes tainted and injured from the wood walls which retain the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a new construction of elevator which will overcome or obviate all the objections and difficulties experienced in the old wood-board cribwork construction, and which will at the same time be fireproof and durable in construction and amply strong to resist any lateral pressure or other strain to which it may be subjected from the high masses of grain in the several bins, and which will also at the same time operate properly to absorb any moisture in the grain, so as to decrease its liability to heat or sweat or spoil, and in which also the cupola or superstructure and machinery therein may be supported directly upon the walls of the bins, and thus save the expense of separate posts or supportingframework therefor.

To this end myinvention consists in a grain elevator comprising a network or series of bins, each of the customary or any desired size or height, the walls whereof are composed or built up of layers of tile and steel beams, the layers of steel beams being preferably placed at intervals of about every six feet in height and being securely united together at the corners of the bins, so as to securely tie and unite together all the bins and all the walls of all the bins, and the layers of the tile filling the intervening spaces between the layers of steel beams, each intervening tile wall between two consecutive layers of beams being composed of straight or flat archshaped tile, so as to resist any lateral bulging or horizontal pressure to which they may be subjected by the mass of grain in the high bins. To increase the arch-acting strength of the vertical tile walls, the layers of steel beams are securely united together by vertical tie-rods extending between and tying together the successive layers of steel beams. The arch-acting strength of the walls against the bulging pressure of the grain is thus by reason of the rods not solely dependent upon the weight of the walls. The tile are pref erably hollow tile with their hollows or chambers extending vertically, so as to produce airchambers in the walls of the series of bins. By making the tile hollow their heat-conductivity is materiallylessened, which is of great advantage in preventing the heating or spoiling of the grain in one bin being communicated to the contiguous bin; and this is also of material advantage in diminishing the weight of the elevator-building as a whole and the necessary strength and expense of the foundation, which it is always difficult enough to make adequately strong to support the great load due to the high elevator-building and its contents. As the walls of the bins where the grain comes in contact with the same are of tile, a material that readily absorbs moisture, there is no danger of the grain heating or sweating or spoiling by reason of the tightness or non-absorbent character of the walls of the bins. By this construction it will be observed that the horizontal layers of steel beams, extending atintervals of, say, every six feet in height from the bottom to the top of the bins and securely united together at the corners of the bins, afford all the strength that can possibly be required to resist the enormous lateral or bulging pressure due to the great height of the grain in the bins, while the vertical tile walls between the layers of steel beams, by reason of their being constructed on the principle of a flat or straight arch, are adequately strong to resist any lateral strain or bulging pressure from the grain between the successive layers of steel beams. At the same time the walls are moisture-absorbent, so that there is no undue danger of the grain heating, sweating, or spoiling, and the walls are also substantially as light in weight as the solid woodboard cribwork walls heretofore in use, and are much superior thereto in non-heat-conducting qualities, and at the same time my composite steel beam and vertical arch tile walls are entirely fireproof and also perfectly durable; and by my new construction the difiiculties heretofore experienced from the continual shrinkage and compression of the wood walls of the bins are entirely avoided, and I am enabled to place the cupola or superstructure and its machinery directly upon the walls of my elevator-bins.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, Figure l is a diagrammatic plan or horizontal section of an elevator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing also by the vertical dotted lines a vertical section or diagram of the bins. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal section showing in plan in part the tile-layer and in part the steel-beam layer of the walls. Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section showing the steel layers in cross-section and the vertical tile walls in cross-section and elevation. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan showing the union or tie piece uniting the layers of steel beams at the corners of the bins. Fig. 6 is a section on the line (3 G of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail showing the couplingblock or casting for connecting the horizontal brace-rods to the steel beams. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7. Fig 0 is an enlarged horizontal section of the tile wall. Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail vertical section of the tile wall.

In the drawings, A represents a grain-elevator; A, the cupola or superstructure in which the engines and the elevating,wei ghin g, cleaning, and other machinery are placed, and a a the series of square or rectangular bins, and A the lower story, having the arched openings A into which the cars are run. In the drawings I have indicated the elevator as comprising a series of fifty grain-bins, the same being five bins wide by ten bins long. It will, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that the elevator may contain any desired number of bins, and as my invention relates only to the construction of the grainbins it will be unnecessary to show or describe the particular construction of the first story into which the cars are run, or ofthe cupola or superstructure, or the elevating,

Weighing, or other machinery contained therein, all of which is well known to those skilled in the art, and all of which may be, so far as my invention is concerned, of any desired or suitable construction.

The network of walls of the series of grainbins a a in my invention are composed of a series of horizontal layers B of steel beams b, preferably I-beams in cross-section,and united together at the corners of the bins by crossshaped joint-plates O, securely attached to the ends of the beams 12 by bolts 0. The series of horizontal layers B of steel beams 19 are preferably placed, for convenience of workmen in scaffolding, about six feet apart in height. The vertical wall-space between the successive layers B B of steel beams is filled in by hollow tile D, the middle course of the tile D being of a double-arch-key construction and the tile on each side of the key-tile D having each double-arch meeting faces d 01, so that each vertical tile wall between the successive layers of steel beams is a double flat or straight vertical arch against lateral or horizontal-pressure in either direction against the wall-that is to say, each wall is constructed on the principle of a vertical arch against lateral pressure from the grain in the bin on either side of each wall. To increase this vertical arch action of the tile and the strength of the structure as a whole between each successive horizontal layer of steel beams, I unite the successive layers of steel beams together by vertical tic-rods F, one of these vertical tie-rods being preferably employed at each corner of each bin and midway of the wall of each bin, as will be readilyunderstood from Figs. 3 and 4. These tie-rods F are provided with nuts f to bear against the beams b or their joint-plates C. The tiles D or D are provided with vertical channels or recesses d to receive these vertical tie-rods F. The cement or mortar at the joints of the tile D D is indicated in the drawings at d To further'strengthen the. walls of the bin against lateral or bulging pressure of the grain, I pro vide the same with brace or tie rods G, ex-

' tending, preferably, diagonally from the middle of each of the steel beams 12 in each bin, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 3. These horizontal tie or brace rods G are preferably connected to the beams 12 by coupling-blocks H, having flanges 71, adapted to be slipped over the flanges b of the steel beams h before the beams are laid in the wall, as will be understood by reference to Figs. 7, 8, and 3. Nuts g secure the horizontal tie or brace rods G to the couplings II. In laying up the tile walls between the steel beams the hollows or chambers d of the tile extend vertically andform continuous vertical airspaces, which may, if desired, be extended through the horizontal webs b of the steel beams by punching'holes or openings b therein, so as thus to form continuous vertical fines in the walls of the bins. The air spaces or flues in the walls of the bins aid in preventing conduction of heat through the walls from one bin to another and also cooperate with the moisture-absorbent function of the tile in removing moisture from the grain in the bins, and thus in preventing heating or spoiling thereof.

The upper and lower courses of each horizontal section or layer of tileworkD between the layers of steel beams is preferably composed of special tile D having grooves d to receive the flanges Z) of the steel beams 12 and to better protect the beams from moisture and perfect the fireproof construction. These specially-grooved tile D to fit the steel beams also afford an easy and convenient means for leveling up the tile or masonry wall to receive the next layer of steel beams, and also aiford a smooth and level course to begin the succeeding layer of tilework upon. Instead of employing specially constructed or grooved tile D to fit the steel beams it will of course be understood that other tile maybe employed for the upper and lower courses by cutting them to fit the beams.

I claim 1, A grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of a series of layers of tilework and of steel beams, the steel beams of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double vertical arch-acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either direction, substantially as specified.

2. In a grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of a series of layers of tilework and of steel beams, the steel beams of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double vertical arch-acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure ineither direction, and the layer of steel beams being connected together by vertical tie-rods, substantially as specified.

3. Ina grain-elevatorcomprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of a/series of layers of tilework and of steel beams, the steel beams of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double vertical arch-acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either direction, the layer of steel beams being connected together by vertical tie-rods, and horizon tal tie orbrace rods, substantially as specified.

4. In a grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of a series of layers of tilework and of steel beams, the steel beams of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double vertical arch-acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either direction, the tile being hollow with the hollows or chambers thereof extendingvertically, substantially as specified.

5. In a grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of a series of layers of tilework and of steel beams, the steel beams of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double vertical arch-acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either direction, the layer of steel beams being connected together by vertical tie-rods and horizontal brace-rods, and coupling-blocks connecting said horizon tal tie-rods with the braces, substantially as specified.

(i. A grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of tilework provided at intervals with layers of steel beams and joint-plates at the corners of the bins connecting the beams, substantially as specified.

7. A grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of tilework provided at intervals with layers of steel beams and joint-plates at the corners of the bins connecting the beams, and vertical tie-rods uniting the layers of steel beams,substantially as specified.

8. A grain-elevator comprising a series of bins, the walls whereof are composed of layers of tilework and layers of steel beams, the layers of tilework between the layers of beams being each composed of a double key-course and double vertical arch acting courses against lateral pressure, substantially as specified.

9. A grain-elevator comprising a series of bins, the walls whereof are composed of layers of tilework and layers of steel beams, the layers of tilework between the layers of beams being each composed of a double key-course and double vertical arch -acting courses against lateral pressure, the upper and lower tile courses of each layer of tilework being composed of grooved tile D fitting said steel beams, substantially as specified.

10. A grain-elevator comprising a series of bins having a network of walls composed of a series of layers of tilework and of steel beams, the steel beams of each layer being united together at the corners of the bins, and the vertical walls or layers of tilework between the layers of steel beams being of a double vertical arch-acting construction against lateral or bulging pressure in either direction, the upper and lower courses of tile of each tilework layer being provided with grooves d to fit the steel beams, substantially as specified.

ERNEST V. JOHNSON.

Vitnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EDMUND AncooK. 

